Cheated!!

[TAG UR IT]

This is why I do ALL of my service at the dealer.

[Navy Blue]

Originally Posted by Pencil.Fight

My first Camaro, the second car I owned, was purchased from a mechanic. It lasted about a week before it suddenly wouldn't start at all. I replaced the fuel filter, checked the lines, and all the sensors. I knew it was a fuel problem, so I finally took it to a shop to check the fuel pump. Anyone who's had an '85 Camaro knows that it's not the easiest thing to access. When the guy got to it, he found that the guy who sold it to me had tried to fix the pump himself, but rather than remove the old one and add in a new one, he just spliced the new one in on top of the old one.

After that, it worked fine, for the most part, until I had to sell it due to rising insurance costs and speeding tickets. It was lucky for me that I did. Within a couple of weeks the radiator "blew up". It's now sitting outside with leaky T-Tops and puddles of water and ice all over the seats and floorboards.

The worst part about it is that as soon as I bought the car, the guy I bought it from disappeared off the face of the earth. He stopped showing up for work at the shop, and his Cell Phone was cut off.

1 year later...

Not having learned my lesson, I bought another car from a mechanic where my car had broken down 250 miles from home. This car lasted me about a month before one of the tires blew up on the freeway, and it slowly started losing horsepower. Turns out the transmission was crap.

My next car was bought new from a respectable dealership. Needless to say, I'm never buying anything from a mechanic again.

I think Navy's got the right idea, I'm hoping to get some training myself so I can not only know what half you guys are talking about, but I can fix and mod my own cars without worrying about getting cheated.

finally someone understands my pain

i dont mean to sound evil? yea thats the right word,but i'm most defenetely NOT going to pay a guy what 50+ bucks an hour? they charge now days to not even do the job right,what sucks is thats its 50 bucks for them to hook it up to a machine that tells you whats wrong with it,then for them to charge alot AND take their time doing it while i have errands to run is just totally not worth it,but to be honest i dont know where to start looking to learn about mechanics,aside from that and i know i'm getting ahead of myself,i want to learn everything to a car,from interior make-overs n stuff to paint job's to fixing/supping up my vehicle,as for tag's comment..well i'm middle class i'm new to the work force,i needed something fast,but getting to it,i've driven (and been stranded (in the middle of the expressway..Eden's =/..Dan Ryan ha!!) by all used cars,the camaro will be my first New car i'm totally exited about not worrying for 3 years heh.


and about jiffy lube,i go to mida's now,they're awesome folks and show everything they do before i drive off..though i dont understand anything,its like they speak a different language :P

i hope to confuse people like that soon

[Mindz]

Originally Posted by TAG UR IT

This is why I do ALL of my service at the dealer.

I go through my stepfather's work (he's a manger of a construction company). They do the work at their own shop. My stepfather owned a bodyshop for 30+ years and my mother and actual father raised me in a car business all my life.

I find at least the dealers around the bay area price gouge and do exactly what has been said about mechanics. I can't stand dealers here. My mother used to work for quite a few dealerships and I've seen the behind the curtains drama and little things they do to hook the sale. Lying and what not. VERY not kosher. Just my experience locally though.

[TAG UR IT]

Originally Posted by TAG UR IT

This is why I do ALL of my service at the dealer.

Ok...now that I read it that way...

Originally Posted by Navy Blue

finally someone understands my pain

i dont mean to sound evil? yea thats the right word,but i'm most defenetely NOT going to pay a guy what 50+ bucks an hour? they charge now days to not even do the job right,what sucks is thats its 50 bucks for them to hook it up to a machine that tells you whats wrong with it,then for them to charge alot AND take their time doing it while i have errands to run is just totally not worth it,but to be honest i dont know where to start looking to learn about mechanics,aside from that and i know i'm getting ahead of myself,i want to learn everything to a car,from interior make-overs n stuff to paint job's to fixing/supping up my vehicle,as for tag's comment..well i'm middle class i'm new to the work force,i needed something fast,but getting to it,i've driven (and been stranded (in the middle of the expressway..Eden's =/..Dan Ryan ha!!) by all used cars,the camaro will be my first New car i'm totally exited about not worrying for 3 years heh.

You made me look back to what I said. When I read it, I said...ALL of my service issues. I'm fairly knowledgeable when it comes to cars. All my old trucks, etc. were clunkers that I had to keep running week to week. I know how to fix most normal problems. It's the big stuff that I can't do.

Originally Posted by Mindz

I go through my stepfather's work (he's a manger of a construction company). They do the work at their own shop. My stepfather owned a bodyshop for 30+ years and my mother and actual father raised me in a car business all my life.

I find at least the dealers around the bay area price gouge and do exactly what has been said about mechanics. I can't stand dealers here. My mother used to work for quite a few dealerships and I've seen the behind the curtains drama and little things they do to hook the sale. Lying and what not. VERY not kosher. Just my experience locally though.

Price gouge? They sure do! But, the majority of my work is warranty related issues that I have done at the dealers. For example...I could have had a rebuilt tranny for way less than $3,500 Ancira charged me. But, the work was performed at a CHEVY dealer where that's all they do. They don't work on Audi's, Fords, Mercs, Toy's, etc. It's all about Chevys. This, to me, means they have a heck of a lot more experience and I am much more trusting....not to mention the awesome warranty.

SO, I can change alternators, starters, re-run wires, batteries, do all my brakes/rotors, etc, etc...But some stuff is better left to the shop. And that shop is the one and only Ancira service shop. Usually warranty...but when not covered and I'm sure I can't do it w/out screwing it up....it's worth the money. It also helps in resale value. From me to buyer..."All service on this vehicle has been performed at and only at Ancira Winton Chevrolet. Yes, every visit was documented and here's the paperwork to prove it."

[Mindz]

Originally Posted by TAG UR IT

Ok...now that I read it that way...

You made me look back to what I said. When I read it, I said...ALL of my service issues. I'm fairly knowledgeable when it comes to cars. All my old trucks, etc. were clunkers that I had to keep running week to week. I know how to fix most normal problems. It's the big stuff that I can't do.




Price gouge? They sure do! But, the majority of my work is warranty related issues that I have done at the dealers. For example...I could have had a rebuilt tranny for way less than $3,500 Ancira charged me. But, the work was performed at a CHEVY dealer where that's all they do. They don't work on Audi's, Fords, Mercs, Toy's, etc. It's all about Chevys. This, to me, means they have a heck of a lot more experience and I am much more trusting....not to mention the awesome warranty.

SO, I can change alternators, starters, re-run wires, batteries, do all my brakes/rotors, etc, etc...But some stuff is better left to the shop. And that shop is the one and only Ancira service shop. Usually warranty...but when not covered and I'm sure I can't do it w/out screwing it up....it's worth the money. It also helps in resale value. From me to buyer..."All service on this vehicle has been performed at and only at Ancira Winton Chevrolet. Yes, every visit was documented and here's the paperwork to prove it."

The mitsubishi Dealer here works on basically two cars. EVO's and Lambourghini's. I have no idea why but you never see any other car on their lifts. That and customer service is terrible. I ordered a head gasket because I was expecting my 420a (dodge neon block) to start leaking seeing how reliable Dodge/mopar is. The dealer made sure three times that I authorized him to call me when it arrived. I called every week starting 2 weeks after I placed the order. The same guy I had talked to remembered me (I asked him over the phone). He said it hadn't come in. I gave up after 4 months and just said screw it.

They had charged my credit card apparantly for this since they had my signature on the order form to order a new part, and my credit card number from when I had done a few services there before hand. They thought it would be OK.

I stormed in there and they had had a head gasket all along and just didn't see it. They looked and looked and realized I wasn't going anywhere until I got one, and then "finally" found the one they had in stock.


Needless to say. I hate dealerships.

I'm hoping with the new camaro I'll have better luck. It will be my first car bought from a dealer. I've only owned used cars since that's all I could afford in the past.

[Pencil.Fight]

When I bought my Corolla in February the dealership offered me a discounted, pre-paid maintenance package. It covers all oil changes and interval services for the first 30 or 50 thousand miles. Now I have a book of coupons for any scheduled maintenance I'll need, probably as long as I have the car.
I could do a lot of it myself, but having documented services definitely helps with resale value, especially if you want to trade it in at the dealership where you're getting the service done.

With a car that I'm not planning on reselling or trading in (i.e. the 2009 Camaro), I'd like to be able to do all the work myself, so that I know it was done and I know it was done right. Now, I'm definitely no grease monkey, not even a grease lemur, but I'm open to any suggestions as to how to go about learning this stuff. What did you guys do? Just practice on your own old cars, read some books, or do you just research each problem as it comes along?

[Mindz]

I've done small things that come with instructions. Helped a few friends install intakes on imports and I helped my brother custom install his stereo and a SAFC by removing his center console piece and cutting the plastic with a dremel. I've also hooked up the sparkplug in the muffler for flaming exhaust on another friend's 300zx TT. Reading up on stuff gives you insight, but actually doing it is what gives you experience. I'd go up to your friends/family and see if they're doing anything to their car even if it's changing brake pads or wheels and see if you can help out, even if you just watch.

Or you can be like my brother and me by just taking things apart so you know how to do it later. I've taken off my bumper quite a few times just for the hell of it. I did my gauge bezel and taillights without any instructions, I just had plenty of time and made logical decisions as where the right thing SHOULD be and it took a while, but it was fun and now I can do it again no sweat.

[Mr. Wyndham]

I can't do a full-out engine swap. I could on one of the older engines, but not the computerized ones, too many wires that I don't know what they do/where they go. I'd put an Oxygen sensor wires in the MAF senser...that'd freak out the ECU

I can do a lot of my own work though. It's always good to realize that if somebody says something about an engine - and you understand it - you must have some kind of knowledge/skill...

Originally Posted by Mindz

Or you can be like my brother and me by just taking things apart so you know how to do it later. I've taken off my bumper quite a few times just for the hell of it. I

I can't tell you how many times I just take things apart...because...for no other reason than 'because'. I've failed to put a few of them back together, but the majority of my experiments go well.
Do you ever open up the hood, and just stare down at all those components - tracing each one, and figuring out what it does? I inadvertantly spent 2 hours just staring at my engine. I learned a lot, though, in those 2 hours.

[Mindz]

I took out my headlights, stuck em in an oven for 45 seconds, pried the enclosure apart. Unscrewed the little amber piece that covers the turn signal bulb and stuck all 4 pieces back in the oven, then pushed them back together for stock clear headlights. That took about 6 hours to do taking off the bumper and putting it back on. I had to find 2 bolts that were in the middle of the engine bay to take off my front bumper to get to the headlight assembly bolts that were otherwise hidden.

Homemade clears FTW!

[Pencil.Fight]

Originally Posted by Mindz

I took out my headlights, stuck em in an oven for 45 seconds, pried the enclosure apart. Unscrewed the little amber piece that covers the turn signal bulb and stuck all 4 pieces back in the oven, then pushed them back together for stock clear headlights. That took about 6 hours to do taking off the bumper and putting it back on. I had to find 2 bolts that were in the middle of the engine bay to take off my front bumper to get to the headlight assembly bolts that were otherwise hidden.

Homemade clears FTW!

Nice! I'd be afraid of ruining my headlights though. I know they're only like $30, but when you're on a budget every little bit counts.

I've done a few things on my cars of the past: replaced a radiator, a couple of fuel filters, spark plugs, oil changes, etc... But I won't even pretend to know diddely about engines and transmissions. I don't even know what 75% of the stuff in my sig means.

[Mindz]

Mine are about 150 but I wanted clears that much and didn't want to spend 400 ish on projectors.

126 horsepower (high rpm power)
1,794 cc (cubic centimeters or millilitre) 'displacement'
1.8 litre (how much space your engine cylinders hold (if all the pistons were at the bottom of the down stroke and you poured water in, It would take 1.8 litres to fill it up.)
In line 4 cylinder (cylinders are in a straight line as opposed to a 'V' shape with pistons firing diaonally)
The cylinders are increased from stock diameter to 79 millimeters. (the circle is wider)
The pistons move higher up and down for each stroke. (up from stock to 91.4 mm)
10 to 1 compression ratio (the pistons reduce the size of the cylinder during compression stroke to 1/10 of the size from bottom to top of the stroke)
DOHC (2 Cam shafts to control valve openings at different rpms to let air and fuel in and exhaust out)
VVT/camshaft (the cams are controlled by the engine so they let the valves up earlier or later depending on your rpms)
4 valves per cylinder (each cylinder has 4 inlet/outlet valves that open to let fuel/air in and exhaust out)
1ZZ-FE (Engine code) lots of cars are referred to by their engine code or chassis code (Fast and the Furious referred to the Supra as a 2JZE)
Multi-point fuel injection (I don't know what the multi point means but Fuel injection is when fuel is squirted directly into your cylinders as opposed to just being sprayer into the air flow of the car like the old carburetors had.)

I might be wrong on some things, but that's what I get out of it.

[Mr. Wyndham]

maybe some guru could correct us both, as I'm only 75% sure of what I'm about to say.

Originally Posted by Mindz

126 horsepower (high rpm power)
1,794 cc (cubic centimeters or millilitre) 'displacement'
1.8 litre (how much space your engine cylinders hold (if all the pistons were at the bottom of the down stroke and you poured water in, It would take 1.8 litres to fill it up.)

Don't know how you meant this, but they're the same thing: 1,794cc rounds up to 1.8 Liters; they're both discribing displacement

Originally Posted by Mindz

VVT/camshaft (the cams are controlled by the engine so they let the valves up earlier or later depending on your rpms)

controlled by the computer, or by a vacuum solenoid. (I probably misinterpreted what you said). The camshaft rotation compared to the Crank rotation can be retarded(slowed), or advanced(sped up) depending on the conditions, need for higher power/ more performance, or need for fuel economy.

Originally Posted by Mindz

Multi-point fuel injection (I don't know what the multi point means but Fuel injection is when fuel is squirted directly into your cylinders as opposed to just being sprayer into the air flow of the car like the old carburetors had.)

Again, I probably misinterpreted, but I believe that early Fuel injection was a "bolt on" to replace the carb. In other words, the injector was placed right where the carb was, in the center of the intake manifod. MPFI, is when the there are multiple injectors (usually 1 per cyllinder), that still inject fuel into the 'manifold', but right near the intake ports/valves. Most if not all vehicles use this system (some are now switching to DI), it's just a fancy name, like OHV (over-head-valve) ALL valves are "overhead" the cyllinder.

[Mindz]

Quite possibly the best intro to a racing game I have ever seen because of this in depth look into the engine.



Fuel being sprayed into the manifold,
through the 4 vavles into the cylinder, then the explosion of the power stroke.
The springs are attached to the valves and the spinning rod with the egg shaped attachments is the cam. When the egg's tip is pointing down it opens or closes the valves.


Dragon, you further explained my point on VVT. I meant to say the engine's rpms tell the computer chip (ECU) to retard or advance the timing of the opening on the valves. Thanks!

[Navy Blue]

well i'm actually looking into schools now i wanna know from the basics to the hard stuff..cars are something thats interest me alot,and i wanna know everything and save sum $$ in the proccess haha